Solomon

He trusted me, and I let Him down.
When I took the throne
I asked for wisdom,
and He gave it to me.
But I didn’t realize what I had.
I saw it as the kind of wisdom
you can put into a book,
or toss off in a clever proverb or two
to regale the palace banqueters.
But I didn’t make the connection
between that wisdom and the way I lived.
Maybe if I had asked for something else —
wealth, or power, or revenge —
I might have learned wisdom the hard way,
dealing with the problems
those things placed in my path.
But, no — I had to ask for wisdom!
And He gave it to me.
Easy come, easy go.
I thought I was being so wise,
taking on those heathen women.
How’s a king going to protect himself
from all those foreign rulers
just waiting to swallow up his territory?
Marrying their daughters
seemed like a smart idea to me.
I became the poet, the Great Lover,
celebrating their “virtues” — let’s call them — in song.
And, like a fool, I let them twist my priorities.
I lost my focus on Him.
So, in the end, I had to look back
on a vain and wasted life.
Then, I finally got real wisdom —
too late to do me any good,
but maybe it will be a warning for you:
“Fear God, and keep His commandments.”
I asked for wisdom,
and He gave it to me.
I should have asked for something else —
not to be “wise,”
but to fear Him always.